DALLAS — Unless you are a fan of a certain contemporary Christian rock band from the 1990s, you don’t know how to pronounce Caedmon Blair’s first name.
And the chances are that unless you have an extraordinary vantage point you will have a hard time spotting him on the football field.
Senior Caedmon Blair, photographed at Dallas High School on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.
At 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds he’s towered over by many of his teammates on the Dallas High football team, but his play at quarterback in the single-wing offense overshadows everything else.
“He’s really taking control of our team, leading by example, leading with his voice, being a great role model for not only our younger quarterbacks, but for everyone,” senior running back/linebacker Tanner Earhart said.
“Everyone can look up to him because he’s a great role model for how to work hard. He does everything right. I think he’s doing a really amazing job, and we definitely need him to bring us together because he does that really well.”
In Dallas’ first game of the 2015 season at Crater, the Dragons had two quarterbacks injured and with no other options they moved their diminutive slot receiver, Blair, to quarterback.
Head Coach Tracy Jackson talks to his players during football practice at Dallas High School on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.
With him at quarterback – and despite the fact his only experience at the position was in fifth and sixth grade and as a backup as a freshman – he pulled the team back from a 28-point halftime deficit to within six points in the third quarter.
After Dallas started the season 1-5, Blair became the starting quarterback for the first time and led the team to a 20-0 win against Crescent Valley, a win against playoff team Lebanon and a 2-1 record to close the season.
“Cade, he’s a guy his linemen are coming back to the huddle and he’s high-fiving them,” Dallas coach Tracy Jackson said. “Everybody’s like dang, and then pretty soon we just turned.
“The thing is Cade took that thing over. He took it over. He’s strong and he’s positive and everybody loves the guy. He’s the guy that people really wanted to play for.”
In Dallas’ run-heavy offense, Blair will carry the ball, but he has worked on his throwing mechanics in the offseason and has the ability to pass the ball significantly more than before.
Senior Caedmon Blair runs a drill during football practice at Dallas High School on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.
He showed flashes of brilliance in 7-on-7 play over the summer and proved his size doesn’t limit his passing ability.
“It’s not resting all on my shoulders,” Blair said of commanding the offense. “I would say knowing what I’m doing. Just realizing that the guys are trusting on me. I need to step up to the ability.
“I’m having a lot of fun now so it’s a blast.”
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler
Mid-Willamette Conference
Central
Coach: Shane Hedrick, 16th year.
Last year’s record: 7-4 overall, 5-2 Mid-Willamette, lost in second round of state playoffs.
Key athletes: Marlon Tuipulotu, sr., OL/DL: A preseason All-American and the 5A defensive player of the year as a junior, he has verbally committed to play at Washington.
Peter Mendazona, jr., QB: Passed for 1,927 yards and 22 touchdowns against nine interceptions as a sophomore.
Peter Mason, sr., WR/CB: Caught 40 passes for 843 yards and nine touchdowns last season and is one of the toughest players in the state to cover.
Outlook: The Panthers have the talent to compete for the league championship as well as the state championship.
Senior running back Alvin Berroa, a second-team all-state player last year, rushed for 1,606 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior.
The team returns almost every skill position player – including receiver Isiah Abraham, AJ Morales, Jackson Holstad – and has some formidable defensive players in linebackers Luis Amador and Marcos Cedillo.
The team’s biggest holes to fill are on the offensive line where only Tuipulotu and junior Braden Fiszek return, but the team adds in a transfer in all-league player Shun Talmadge from Dallas.
Dallas
Coach: Tracy Jackson, fifth year.
Last year’s record: 3-6 overall, 3-4 Mid-Willamette.
Key athletes: Tanner Earhart, sr., RB/LB: The team’s leading rusher last year and a standout at linebacker.
Cody Janssen, jr., OL/DL: An undersized all-league lineman who plays with a lot of heart.
Jason Richey, sr., WR/DB: A returning starter at defensive back.
Outlook: The Dragons have the pieces to be successful in their single wing offense, but the team won’t outsize any opponent.
An offensive line that includes Timothy Hensley, Josh Willden and Janssen plays hard and is experienced in run blocking.
Dallas has three players currently injured – junior running back Treve Earhart, tight end Zach Wallace and lineman Justin Ingram – and they’re expected back sometime after the third week.
Silverton
Coach: John Mannion, seventh year.
Last year’s record: 5-5 overall, 4-3 Mid-Willamette, lost in first round of state playoffs.
Key athletes: Perry Davis, sr., RB/DB: A second-team all-league selection on both sides of the ball who rushed for 763 yards and 12 touchdowns late in the season.
Dustin Guebbles, sr., OL/DL: A second-team all-Mid-Willamette player on the offensive line as a junior.
Levi Nielsen, soph., QB: Started the final four games of the season as a freshman and showed great potential in going 2-2 in those games.
Outlook: The Foxes were plagued by injuries last year, but that gave younger players experience and should benefit the team this season.
Silverton has some big spots to fill on the offensive line, but David Espe and Guebbels are a good group to build around.
Woodburn
Coach: Nick Federico, fifth year.
Last year’s record: 0-9 overall, 0-8 Mid-Willamette.
Key athletes: 3J Contreras, sr., WR/DB: An honorable mention all-league player on both sides of the ball and an athletic player.
Josiah Torres, sr., RB/LB: An all-league defensive player last season.
Outlook: The Bulldogs, who haven’t won a Mid-Willamette game since 2011, are playing an independent schedule for the next two seasons.
Woodburn’s schedule features teams in a mixture of classifications, and includes one game against a Mid-Willamette team when it plays Silverton in the season finale.
Also in the Mid-Willamette
Corvallis: The Spartans (3-6, 3-4 MWC in 2015) have an experienced and quality group up front including junior Marco Brewer, senior Laurin Suchaneck and senior Jackson Ray, but need skill players to step up to fill spots and compete for a playoff spot.
Crescent Valley: The Raiders (5-4, 4-3 MWC) are one of the most dangerous teams in the league with a team led by highly recruited junior quarterback Talonoa Hufanga. He has an athletic group of upperclassmen with him and makes the team a threat to win the league championship.
Lebanon: Senior quarterback Ty Hargis was the conference’s offensive player of the year in 2015 and with a strong group of seniors the Warriors could improve on their 6-4 record last year and challenge for the league championship.
South Albany: The Rebels made a big step forward by going 5-2 in the MWC and winning the co-league championship, but graduated a large portion of that group. The Rebels return senior quarterback Cade Perrizo and running back Cheyce Baum, but South Albany will need the development of younger players around them to compete for the top spot in the league again.